@Kate0, It must be a very different experience when you actually say "goodbye" in person to a guest. We have a whole home we rent in a far away city so I don't see my guests but I have never considered it bad form to ask for not only a review, but ask for 5 stars right up front. There are two reasons. I make sure my home has 5-star amenities for my price point. Second, I call every guest the day after they arrive to not only welcome them, but to make sure they are finding everything OK and that they haven't found anything that isn't to their liking and to remind them that they should reach out immediately if ANY issue arises, no matter how minor. After their scheduled departure, I wait a few hours and use the Airbnb message system to send this:
Hello _______,
I hope you enjoyed your stay at our home, OhMeOhMy at Oakwater Resort. As vacation homeowners, it is extremely important that our guests enjoy our home and we strive to ensure a 5-star experience. As our small family business, a great review goes a long way for us! Other potential guests give reviews great consideration, as you may have, so I would like to invite you to review your stay and receive a 5% reduction on your next reservation of our home.
If you had anything go wrong or suggestions on how we could improve, would you please send them to me in this messenger as we welcome your feedback and love to improve.
I look forward to having you back for your next vacation and we hope you tell your friends about OhMeOhMy. Thank you so much again!
And guess what? It works. Every single guest has left feedback and every one has been 5-star!